Australia Return to Use Term "Occupied Palestine Territories"

Australia, MINA – Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced before the Australian Parliament on Tuesday, that her government would return to use term “Occupied Palestinian Territories, including occupied East Jerusalem” in all of its literature, including deeming settlements in The West Bank is illegal under international law.

In a statement, as quoted by the Shehab News Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomes this important development in Australia’s position committed to international law and UN resolutions, and supports international efforts aimed at reviving the peace process in accordance with international peace references, above all is the principle of the two-state solution.

The statement emphasized that Palestine was still waiting for the Australian government to implement the decision of the ruling Labor Party conference which asked its government to recognize the State of Palestine, without delay or hesitation.

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The ministry stated that this decision would be taken promptly, in accordance with international law and international legitimacy, and in a manner that reflects not only the position of the Labor Party and its members, but also the general position of the gracious Australian people, and advocates of the just and lawful rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to them to establish their state on the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.

Australia’s new political position comes a day after the occupying Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced his rejection of the creation of a Palestinian state, claiming it threatened Israel’s security so he would not agree to it.

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In an interview with the “Bloomberg” agency, Netanyahu said while answering a question about the creation of a Palestinian state, that it was a “red line”.

It should be noted that the Australian Labor Party (ALB) announced last June, a resolution requiring the Australian federal government to recognize Palestine during that parliamentary term.

In October last year, Australia reversed a previous government decision recognizing West Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli entity, and the issue of the city’s status should be resolved through peace talks.

“He will always be a loyal friend of the Israeli entity,” the then foreign minister said, and he is committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state will coexist peacefully within internationally recognized borders.

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At the time, he announced that his government was renewing its commitment to international efforts in the pursuit of responsible progress towards a just and lasting two-state solution.

At the time, the decision was a major shock to the occupying country, which faced international criticism for its settlement policy and ignored calls for peace talks leading to the creation of an independent Palestinian state. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)